. . . it's complicated . . .

DOPE 2017

that I could take you away from the rust
that we would never stop running
through all those blue forgotten hills
to Kentucky, Illinois, fields of corn
as far as the eye can see, Iowa, Nebraska
where the wind would help heal you

and we would hide out in Wyoming
howling with the wolves at sunset
your shaking limbs held cloaked in mine
our teeth gritted against the storm inside you
the exorcism of demon dust from your veins
until daybreak would come and take us

setting our sails across the Great Salt Lake
a white blindness scorching dark dealings
those that held you captive in their ugly gripcome on! come on! there’s no time to lose!we cross the Divide with Shoshone guides
whilst all the time witnessing dissipation

a transfusion process from one life to another
drop by drop from raging torrent to trickle
we move on, step by step from state to statehey look! we can lose ourselves next in Nevada
or dance with the devil in Death Valley
it doesn’t much matter

for when we reach the beach at El Capitan
we will surrender ourselves to the Pacific swell
flotsam float to Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu
and wash ashore on a distant sunshine coast
where the aboriginal songline trails will lead us
on to our Dreamtime reincarnations

I know
it’s not possible
it was just a crazy idea
that I could ever take you away
that you would ever hear me whisper your name
or that anything would ever change for you